By ADAM ZAGORIA
Sammie Yeaney, the 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Arizona Compass Prep, has committed to Arizona State, he told ZAGSBLOG ahead of his public announcement Friday.
Ranked the No. 17 power forward in the 247Sports.com Composite, he chose Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils over Ohio, Florida, Utah and Washington State. Yeaney took an official to Arizona State the weekend of Oct. 7.
“Arizona State [has] been recruiting me since July, and ever since then they’ve been showing a lot of love, coming to the school and mentoring me,” Yeaney said in a phone interview. “Some of the coaches have taught me about the game and all that.
“And Coach Hurley, him being from the NBA, he knows a lot of stuff. And he’s been telling me the right stuff.”
He added: “I like their playing style for their forwards. I was talking to Coach Hurley when I was on my visit a couple weeks ago and we were watching film, and he was just showing me different plays and how I would be successful on offense.”
Arizona Compass Prep assistant coach Pete Kaffey said the Sun Devils are getting an versatile player who can guard multiple positions.
“Sammie is a versatile forward that can play on the wing,” he told ZAGSBLOG.
“He can play 3-5, a kid that can shoot it, his play-making ability with the ball in his hands, I think separates him from a lot of forwards in his class. I think they’re getting a kid that’s going to come in and work, that’s going to bring high energy. He has the same type of energy as when Bobby Hurley was playing. He’s a rah-rah guy with every basket he makes.
“He’s a kid that’s going to learn and I’m happy for Sammie and Arizona State.”
Yeaney joins three-star big man Jaden Smith and four-star wing Amier Ali in Arizona State’s 2024 class. Both Smith and Ali plan to sign their Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
“I was on the official with Jaden and I already knew Amier because he was from Florida,” Yeaney said.
“I think with the play-making skills that Amier got, and me with my play-making skills, and Jaden with the rebounds and being big,” he said, “I feel like we can do something big at ASU.”
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